“A lot of research and surveys in the world and in Vietnam have shown that sustainable companies are more competitive, more productive, more adaptive and more integrative than those just focusing on seeking profit while disregarding responsibility for community and the environment,” said Mr Nguyen Quang Vinh, Member of the Standing Committee and Deputy General Secretary of the Vietnam Chamber of Commerce and Industry (VCCI), and Vice Chairman and General Secretary of the Vietnam Business Council for Sustainable Development (VBCSD), at the launching ceremony of the "Programme for benchmarking and ranking sustainable companies in Vietnam in 2017” in Hanoi on April 17.
The annual programme is held in light of the Government Announcement 398/TB-VPCP dated December 15, 2015 on ranking sustainable companies with the aim of honouring pioneering and successful enterprises in sustainable development and encouraging enterprises to focus on sustainable development plans, measures and strategies.
Vinh said the the launch of the Corporate Sustainability Index (CSI) can be said to be a breakthrough because this is the first agency in Vietnam to create this index, dedicatedly designed for Vietnamese businesses. CSI is easy to use and applicable to all companies regardless of type, scope and scale. The questionnaire is composed by top-notch specialists from VCCI, ministries and agencies, in addition to opinions from domestic and international economists.
“This year, CSI criteria have been adjusted to assess corporate sustainability more accurately, but are still focused on three core factors of economy, society and environment with 151 questions, divided into two parts: general indicators and specific indicators,” he stressed.
Sharing this viewpoint, Mr Dao Dinh Thi, Chairman of the Board of Directors of Baoviet Holdings and Vice President of VBCSD, said, “The launch of CSI, with its advantages like being easy to apply and irrespective of size, industry and scope of operation, has introduced a standard benchmark for Vietnamese enterprises and an important step to create a common voice of the Vietnamese business community towards sustainable development.
VCCI Vice Secretary General Nguyen Quang Vinh affirmed that sustainable development has become an urgent and necessary requirement in global economic activity, as well as a big challenge in the context of international economic integration. Sustainable business will help enterprises to strengthen their internal strengths, enhance their positions and gain the confidence of the Government, customers, investors and other stakeholders as well. Many studies and surveys in the world and in Vietnam have shown that sustainable companies are more competitive, more productive, adaptive and more integrative than those simply focusing on seeking profit while disregarding responsibility for community and the environment.
Mr Pham Hoang Hai, Head of the VBCSD Secretariat, affirmed that the first programme on benchmarking and ranking sustainable enterprises in Vietnam 2016 engaged 400 enterprises across industries. 100 outstanding enterprises were honoured for being sustainable. 2017 is the second year the programme is carried out and expected to attract more participants and create a stronger ripple effect.
Mr Dao Dinh Thi, Chairman of Baoviet Holdings and VBCSD Vice President, said sustainable development is an imperative requirement for enterprises as it not only helps them enhance internal resources, but also improve their position and competitiveness in the market. Baoviet Holdings always pursues sustainable growth goals by ensuring effective growth, building strong financial strength and gradually enhancing competitiveness. The group is fully aware that in order to achieve sustainable development, besides ensuring revenue growth, it also needs to contribute to developing the community and protecting the environment.
Speaking of this year’s programme, Hai emphasised that this year's programme will encourage self-assessment of corporate sustainability; update new domestic and international practices and regulations; apply a scoreboard for each indicator and bonus points to have more accurate measurement of the company's sustainability efforts. Indicators are explained more specifically, especially environmental factors, to avoid confusing the business.
In addition, the programme in 2017 will reduce information, documents and images required in candidate documents and raise the spirit of self-assessment. The programme will encourage candidates to submit hard-copy documents or upload via the website
The announcement ceremony of sustainable companies will be held in December 2017.
Thu Ha
Vietnamese
